Research Assistant CV Example

To land a research assistant position, you need to write a CV that reflects your professional strengths, skills, and expertise in a compelling way.

For visual learners, this video contains the essential elements of a compelling academic CV and provide tips on how to make yours stand out:

To build on our video’s advice, follow these four tips for writing a research assistant CV that will impress any hiring manager:

1. Use professional CV formatting

Format your CV correctly to show your professionalism and diligence. A well-organized research CV tells employers that you’ll bring an eye for detail to your research work, be it in a lab or a corporate setting.

Organize your work and academic history in neat bullet points under the following headings (where applicable):

First impressions matter, so ensure your CV’s formatting is neat and consistent. Use a professional CV font set between 10 and 12 points throughout. Also, save your CV as a PDF rather than as a Word document to avoid formatting issues if the hiring manager opens it in an old version of Microsoft Word.

Find out what to include in your CV before getting started too, to help you visualize your format and structure.

2. Target a specific research assistant position

Show that you’re a great fit by tailoring your research CV to a single job. By using the exact words and phrases that employers are looking for, you’ll look uniquely qualified for the position, and be more likely to land an interview.

Many organizations that hire researchers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter out candidates whose CVs don’t include certain keywords. To avoid having your application filtered out, identify the skills-based keywords and phrases in the job description, and use those same words on your CV.

You should also research the school or company you’re applying to. Skim its website or scroll through its latest newsletter to learn more about what it does, and to decide which of your qualifications to emphasize.

Finally, start your research assistant CV with the most relevant information for the position. For example, if you have research experience that’s related to your target job, put that at the top of the first page to grab the hiring manager’s attention.

3. Showcase relevant academic accomplishments

Display your top academic achievements to show that you have in-depth knowledge in your area of specialization.

Most research positions require at least a bachelor’s degree in a related field, so list yours under the education section. If you have more than one degree, list each, also giving the dates, institution, and topic of your dissertation or thesis (if any).

You need to show more than just your degree though. Researchers are expected to generate new academic papers and reports on an ongoing basis, so also include any:

• related publications
• conferences or posters that you’ve delivered
• awards or grants you’ve received

While metrics like the number of publications, the impact factor of journals, and citation counts are traditional yardsticks, there’s a growing awareness in the academic community about the limitations of these metrics. Therefore, I also look for:

Collaborative research: The ability to collaborate across disciplines or with industry partners can be a strong indicator of a candidate’s adaptability and broad skill set.
Research impact beyond academia: Contributions to policy, social issues, or industry can also be significant.
Reproducibility: In an era where the ‘reproducibility crisis’ is a hot topic, the extent to which a candidate’s research is transparent, replicable, and ethical carries weight.

Dr. Andrew Stapleton of Academia Insider

4. Quantify your research skills and experience

To write a great CV, use hard numbers to quantify your experience. Research is a data-driven field, so use percentages and figures to give your achievements context.

Look at these examples of hard numbers from a research assistant CV:

Sourced an app for taking surveys during field research, saving 5% of grant money that would have been spent on data entry

Conference on International GDPs. Syracuse University, New York (25% acceptance rate)

Putting data and accomplishments on your CV is impactful because it gives the employer specific, measurable examples of how you’ve produced results, which maximizes your chances of being hired.